Daines hits ‘fringe environmentalists’ in ad

by Laura Barron-Lopez - 08/12/14 11:24 AM ET

Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is blaming “fringe environmentalists” for threatening coal industry jobs in a new ad.

Daines is not facing any Democratic opponents in his Senate bid now, but the ad didn’t hold back from slamming environmentalists for supporting regulations proposed by President Obama.

{mosads}The 30-second ad buy features an endorsement from Democrat Bob Winger, a retired union leader who made a living working for coal plants in Montana.

2024 Election Coverage

“There are fringe environmentalists trying to destroy our jobs,” Winger says in the ad. “These environmentalists actually told me to retrain my membership for lesser-paying jobs.”

Daines is an outspoken opponent of the president’s climate change agenda, and has railed against the administration and Senate Democrats for what Republicans claim is a “war on coal.”

Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) dropped his Senate bid in the wake of a plagiarism scandal earlier this month, all but locking in Daines in the critical open-seat race.

Tags